Category

MD Friends

by
Marlies Dekkers

Always follow your dreams! Remaining true to my talents and acting on my own vision of life has brought me so far. Here I’ll proudly share all wishes, photos and other cool material I’m gathering from MD friends: women who follow me, my business and my designs. This is what motivates me to keep dreaming. May it inspire you to live your life to the fullest as well. Dare to dream, dare to grow, dare to be!

MD Friends

It was a dream come true, working with the legendary photographer Ellen von Unwerth. I had admired her work for years, her iconic images of women like Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, and Madonna in magazines like Vogue and Vanity Fair, her unforget-table campaigns for Guess and Chanel, but I had also felt a very strong kinship with her: here was another woman who celebrated women’s bodies without ever objectifying them. A woman who had been pioneering feminine feminism, just like me.

MD Friends

When I have trouble sleeping, I think of Donna D’Cruz. Or rather, I hear her whisper in my ear, in her incredibly sexy Australian accent: “Breathe in, breathe out…”. It works, every time. Meet the real life goddess who uses music, meditation, and the magic of sleep to reawaken women’s true power. “We are human beings, not human doings.”

MD Friends

Do you believe in the fountain of youth? Neither does Belgian doctor Peter Aelbrecht. He does, however, offer something nearly as miraculous: a personalized, holistic combination of Western medical science and alternative treatments that can slow ageing and dramatically improve the quality of your life. My kind of Doctor Love!

Females Forward

She predicted the brightly colored hair trend years before it hit the runway at Chanel and she foresaw the rise of ‘flawed’ supermodels like Winnie Harlow. One thing is clear: trend forecaster and designer Antoinette van den Berg, aka The Lady in Blu, lives, wears and breathes trends. I sat down with the sparkly, blue-haired personality to find out what the future has in store for us. “I’m telling you, old is cool!”

Females Forward

An interesting thing happened when I did Nadia Narain’s yoga class the other day. I had checked myself in the mirror beforehand, and thought I looked fine, but when I looked again afterwards, I fell utterly in love with my reflection!

Females Forward

Forget waiting around for compliments and a candy G-string; this Valentine’s Day, let’s seduce ourselves! How can you seduce others if you don’t know how to seduce yourself, right? But it actually goes so much deeper than that. I was in New York recently, where the magnificent Mal Harrison – clinical sexologist, TEDx speaker and clit-pioneer – explained to me why loving yourself up is one of the most empowering things a woman can do, in the bedroom and beyond. “It’s about owning your pleasure, your body, your power!”

MD Friends

Jaap Korteweg is a 9th generation farmer who loves the taste of meat. He is also the world’s first vegetarian butcher. With his amazing ‘I-cannot-believe-it’s-not-meat’ products, Jaap manages to convert even the biggest steak lovers. “Let’s take the animal out of the food chain.”

MD Friends

When Wim Pijbes became the Rijksmuseum’s director in 2008 (the most prestigious museum of The Netherlands), the first acquisition he made was my feminine feminist ‘Bare Bottom Dress’, comparing it with Mondriaan’s paintings and Rietveld’s iconic chair. A bold move, and typical for the dapper art historian with the rebellious streak who made the world news by breaking protocol and shaking hands with Barack Obama in front of Rembrandt’s Night Watch. As soon as the #MeToo movement hit the art world, I couldn’t wait to sit down with Wim and talk about the consequences of this historical event. “It all goes back to Eve picking the apple.”

MD Friends

Who is Tasya van Ree? The mysterious girl in the big black hat has been fascinating art connoisseurs and fashion lovers alike since she burst onto the scene with her stunning black-and-white photographs of celebrities like Michelle Rodriguez and (one-time lover) Amber Heard. I asked the Hawaiian-born visual artist of Dutch-Japanese ancestry (41) about her art and soul. “Between both King and Queen is where I exist.”

MD Friends

Sara Mearns (31) is New York City Ballet’s boldest ballerina. A passionate, intense dancer, she started dancing at 3 and starred in Swan Lake when she was only 19. But instead of resting on her laurels, Sara has kept challenging herself with daring projects, from a collaboration with hip-hop dancers to a leading role in a Broadway show. I talked with the fierce Swan Queen about sacrifices, body confidence, and how to turn pain into gain. “I’m not the typical skinny, tall, long-neck kind of ballerina.”

MD Friends

Niatia (pronounce: ‘naah-tee-yah), also known by her stage name Lil Mama (28), is a fearless rapper, singer, dancer and actress from Brooklyn, New York. Her breakout hit ‘Lip Gloss’ came out in 2007, and since then she has been a celebrity judge on America’s Best Dance Crew, played Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez in VH1’s CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, and was most recently the lead actress in a movie called ‘When love kills; The Falicia Blakely story’. But it hasn’t always been a smooth ride…

MD Friends

Meet Viktoriya Isakova (41), a stunningly beautiful Russian actress who is not afraid to get down and dirty for her brave performances. Her film credits include ‘Tochka’ (2006), a movie about human trafficking and prostitution and ‘Mirrors’ (2013), in which she plays the tragic Marina Tsvetaeva, one of the greatest Russian poets of the 20th century. I talked to the winner of many (international) awards about ageing, lingerie, and the need to always stay true to yourself.

MD Friends

With her stunning staged photographs, Dutch artist Marie Cécile Thijs (1965) connects the past with the present in an intensely poetic, painterly way. Originally a lawyer, she decided more than fifteen years ago to follow her love for the camera. In just a short period of time, Marie Cécile became an internationally acclaimed artist whose works are included in the collections of museums like the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Museum of Photographic Arts San Diego. She has also presented her art at TEFAF (widely regarded as the world’s pre-eminent fair of art and antiques), Art Miami and Photo Shanghai. For her signature series ‘White Collar’, Marie Cécile photographed the only surviving 17th-century pleated ruff in the world, then digitally added it to her models for an almost surreal, mesmerizing result.

MD Friends

From Li’l Mama’s spectacular makeover to singer Brandy’s unforgettable outfits, Hollywood stylist Michael Mann creates looks that turns women into the best, most powerful version of themselves. In other words: power dressing pursang. I talked to the über-stylist in LA to find out how he does it, and even managed to score a few tips…

MD Friends

“Every second of life should be as fabulous as possible’, Real Housewife of New York City, Sonja Morgan (54) likes to say. And sure enough, whatever the flamboyant designer/ entertainer/entrepreneur touches, becomes instantly glamorous. Even mother-hood! I asked the fearless vixen about sex, ageing, and how her daughter feels about her mother putting it all out there…

MD Friends

She started out as a contestant on the Norwegian version of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’; a few years later her debut single ‘Sunrise’ reached triple platinum status. But what makes Norwegian/Cuban star Alexandra Joner (27) such a feminine feminist icon is the fearless fun with which she expresses herself; in her singing and acting, but also in her fabulously sexy looks (often wearing marlies|dekkers, of course!). “I am fighting to make ‘sexy’ a positive thing!”

MD Friends

When I think of someone who is the embodiment of the highest level of expression, I have to think of German opera superstar Nadja Michael (47). This fearless feminine feminist is absolutely unforgettable in roles like Medea, Salomé and Lady Macbeth, performing phenomenally not just as a singer, but also a dancer and actress. How does she do it?

MD Friends

She grew up in a town with 3 traffic lights; now Lisa Benson represents some of the top names in the industry like Chanel Iman, Chrissy Teigen and Kelly Rohrbach. I met up with the IMG model manager to talk about the art of persistence and the importance of dreaming big. “I always trust my instinct.”

MD Friends

Karen Erickson is unique, with a mind as bright and sparkly as the fabulous, hand-crafted jewelry she designs for celebrity-fans like Madonna, Kate Moss, Angelina Jolie and Beyoncé. I met the ‘Duchess of Fabulous’ in New York, where she dazzled me with her stories and enlightening insights. “One day, instead of falling in love with each other’s genetalia, we will fall in love with each other’s souls.”.

MD Friends

Loved by the food, fitness and fashion industries alike, sisters Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley have taken the health and wellness industry by storm since launching their family-run wellness business in 2010 for people who want to live healthier, happier lives.

MD Friends

Frida Kahlo used to say: “The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to.” I asked Emma Gale (44), a delightful Australian painter with a passion for color and a fascination with Frida Kahlo to give me some tips and tricks: how to get those creative juices flowing?

MD Friends

Ruthie Davis is just like the amazing shoes she designs: daring, empowering and totally fabulous. After making Reebok hip again and completely revamping Uggs, she launched her own brand 10 years ago and quickly became the go-to designer for feminine feminists like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.

MD Friends

It has become THE way to express yourself: social media. But how to best broadcast your message and maximize its potential? I asked the woman who foresaw the social media revolution and turned beauty- and fashion stylists into the new superstars: Brooke Wall.

MD Friends

What was Frida really like? To find out, I had an exclusive interview with the woman who was there when Frida’s bathroom filled with personal treasures was opened after more than 50 years: Hilda Trujillo, director of the Casa Azul in Mexico City.

“Opening the archives allowed us to discover the most important thing: the human being behind the famous artist.”

MD Friends

When it comes to feminine feminism, TV -with its new generation kick-ass leading ladies expressing my motto ‘Dare to dream, dare to grow, dare to be’- is definitely where it’s at! So when I got invited to play a part in TV’s biggest night of the year, I grabbed my party heels and jetted off to Los Angeles.

MD Friends

When I met Jennifer Finnigan in Los Angeles at our Emmy’s gift lounge, there was an immediate spark and connection. The Canadian actress, who is currently starring in the controversial TV drama Tyrant, turned out to be a lingerie-loving, feminine feminist with a noble mission: to revolutionize the TV world, one show at a time. But when she found out I was Dutch, she insisted on first telling me about her adventure in our own Red Light District.

MD Friends

Not only do I admire Swedish super stylist B. Akerlund (41) for creating some of the world’s most iconic looks – Lady Gaga’s ‘Paparazzi’ video, Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show, Beyoncé swinging a bat in ‘that’ yellow dress – I also recognize in her a fellow Feminine Feminist. “My job? To make women strong, sexy and unstoppable.”

MD Friends

As far as I am concerned, there is only one heiress to Edith Head’s throne, and that is the magnificent Arianne Phillips (53), twice Oscar-nominated costume designer and Madonna’s favorite style-collaborator. Like Edith, she is a tastemaker and visionary in both film and fashion. And just like her legendary predecessor, she is a feminist icon in her own right. I had the rare chance to interview Arianne and ask her about Madonna, feminism in Hollywood and why she thinks lingerie is ‘everything’. “We definitely do NOT like to hide it!”

MD Friends

Did you know that it takes about 10 minutes for the average marlies|dekkers customer to decide on a lingerie set, but well over an hour to choose a bathing suit or bikini? With these tips from my own swimwear experts you’ll shop like a pro.

MD Friends

‘Why do you still date men if we’re all such unreliable cheating bastards?’ It’s nine a.m., I’m barely awake, staring with a hot coffee at the screen of my laptop, when the poisonous questions from a certain ‘J.’ shoot right at me. ‘Give it up, feminist pussy, why don’t you become a lesbian?’

MD Friends

Nicole Scherzinger may currently be involved in a high profile love triangle with Lewis Hamilton and our other good friend, Rihanna but today we’re throwing it back to a 2006 music video she shot with the Pussycat Dolls…

MD Friends

When I came up with the idea of designing a lingerie couture collection, I thought of adventurous women, dreamers and modern thinkers who would wear the collection. I launched the couture line in the past winter collection and now the second collection is available since a few days.

MD Friends

You’ve probably seen Charlotte Olympia’s super sexy killer heels; on stars like Dita von Teese and Beyoncé, and all over the red carpet. Like Christian Louboutin, her motto is: ‘The higher the heels, the better it feels’

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